The first thing I had to was decide on the format of the resume. Since I was applying for a cadet position, I decided to turn to AFH 33-337, The Tongue and Quill, for assistance. You can download your very own copy here. Since I already knew what position I was applying for, the targeted resume was a perfect fit - it had room to list capabilities, achievements, experience, and education that would show I was the best cadet for the job.

My goal was to keep the resume to one page in length, which meant I would have to be very picky about what I put on there. Ideally, you don’t want your resume more than one page, since your reader will probably lose interest and move on to someone else.

Once I decided on what format to use, it became a simple matter of deciding what to put under each of the headings:

• Header: Start off by typing your name and rank in all capital letters on the first line. You can decide whether to abbreviate or spell out your rank - the choice is yours, depending on how formal you want your resume to be. If you look at my resume, I left my rank out since it changes from semester to semester in AFROTC depending on your position within the cadet wing, but you should probably leave your rank in since you’ve worked hard to earn it. On the next line, type your street address using normal capitalization. The next line after that is your city, state, and ZIP+4. The last line is your phone number with area code.
• Job Objective: This one was simple. I was applying for the job of Cadet Wing Commander, so I simply put “Cadet Wing Commander for the Spring 2002 Semester”.
• Capabilities: This heading is meant for “bullet statements” to show the reader things that you’ve done that make you capable of handling the job you’re applying for. “But Cadet Cepeda, what’s a bullet statement?” you ask. Well, I’ll get to that in a little bit. For now, let’s continue with the different sections of the resume. Since I was applying for the job of Cadet Wing Commander, I needed to show that I could lead all sizes of groups as well as have good organizational skills, so I put down bullet statements that showed I had those skills.
• Achievements: This is sort of an “I-love-me” section where you show the reader (through more bullet statements) what you’ve accomplished as a cadet. In this section, I listed the major cadet awards that were the highlights of my cadet career and how I got those awards. Notice I said major awards - unless you’re really hard up for things to put on there, you can probably do without listing your recruiting ribbon, encampment ribbon, etc. Save this section for the big stuff like how you earned that commander’s commendation or cadet of the month.
• Experience: This section is where you list your experiences that have prepared you for the job you’re applying for. Here, put down the different positions you’ve held in your squadron, training courses you’ve attended (COS, PJOC, encampment, etc.), and any other CAP experience that you have. In this section, I simply listed every assignment I had as a cadet.
• Education: Here is where you give the reader a little of your educational background. This really isn’t as important a section as the others - it’s more to give the reader a sampling of what sort of background you have. For this section, I simply put down the high school I attended and my current year in college.

Now that I’ve talked about the different sections of the resume, this is a good time to define what a “bullet statement” is. Simply put, a bullet statement acts just like a bullet: it knocks the reader off their feet by getting their attention and using powerful language to show what you’ve accomplished. The Air Force acronym for this is CABS: Concise, Accurate, Brief, and Specific. When writing your bullet statements, keep CABS in mind. Also, remember that bullet statements are only used in the “Capabilities” and “Achievements” sections of the targeted resume.

Let’s build a good bullet statement together. Let’s say that you’ve been helping members in your flight with passing their aerospace tests. You could put down “Helped flight pass aerospace tests.” That’s a good start, but put yourself in the shoes of the reader. They’ve probably got dozens of resumes to go through, and higher-ranking cadets are supposed to help their flight with aerospace anyway, right? That bullet statement probably would have gotten a “hmmph” and the reader’s eyes would be halfway down the page, if not already on the next resume.

Maybe you should find out how many cadets actually passed their aerospace tests - that’s sure to get the reader’s attention. Also, we can pick out some “action verbs” and use those to start off our statement. Let’s give it another shot - let’s try “Mentored flight members in aerospace education, achieving an 85% passing rate on the next aerospace exam.” Wow! That’s a whole lot better and sure to have much more of an impact on the reader.

“Sure,” the reader’s thinking, “a lot of cadets help their flights with aerospace, but look at this one - 85% of his flight passed their tests after he helped them! He’s definitely got some teaching skills and we might be able to use him on staff.” By using a thesaurus and a concrete example, we’ve caught the reader’s attention with a powerful verb and showed them what we’ve done. Remember the key formula for bullet statements: start with an action verb to hook the reader, then tell them what you’ve done using specific examples.

Editor's Note: It is important to put things down that have something in common with the job you want. For instance: don't talk up your flying or E.S. experience if you're asking for a job as squadron commander. Instead, talk about your past leadership assignments and training.

Now that we’ve learned to write powerful bullet statements, it’s time to flesh out the rest of our resume. For the “Experience” section, simply include as much CAP experience as possible, showing how you’ve been preparing for that staff job you want. Finally, for the “Education” section, you can probably get away with listing the school you currently attend, the school you last graduated from, and any academic honors that you earned there (like the honor roll or something along those lines). This simply gives the reader an idea of where you are in school, your approximate age, and that you can apply yourself to your studies.

Don’t be shy about talking yourself up, but make sure what you say is true. Don’t exaggerate about your achievements - remember the core value of “Integrity First.” Basically, if you’ve got room for it, include it! Think about what sort of qualities someone would need to serve in the job you want, and then show the reader how you have those qualities.

As a side note, there are some things that are generally left off resumes. Don’t include such things as references, your religion, hobbies, or personal data like your age, height, weight, etc. These aren’t relevant to your resume and just take up valuable space.

When you think you’re done writing your resume, check for errors, spelling, correct grammar, and make sure it looks neat and professional. Remember, unless someone on the selection board knows you by name, all they have to go by is how your resume presents itself. Lastly, don’t forget to have another set of eyes look over your work - your parents, English teacher, older sibling, flight commander, whomever. It’s amazing how much other people can help you out.

If you follow the guidelines in this article, you’ll have a well-written resume in proper Tongue and Quill format that is sure to impress any selection board you send it to. Best of luck in getting those staff assignments, and happy resume writing!